Our approach
Our Approach to Business Debt and Finance Information
A business that understands its borrowing makes better decisions about it. That belief shapes how every page on this site is written, how we handle an enquiry and what we refuse to do. This page sets out the principles so you can hold us to them.
Make a free enquiry
Tell us a little about your business and we will explain the options. No obligation, and enquiring does not involve a credit search.
Five principles
What we believe about business borrowing
These principles are not slogans. Each one changes what we write and what we leave out.
-
Understand before you borrow
A finance decision made without a clear picture of what the business already owes, on what terms and with what security, is a guess. We encourage readers to list every facility, including personal guarantees, before they look at anything new.
-
The whole cost, not the headline rate
Interest is one part of the cost. Arrangement fees, early repayment charges on the facilities being cleared, valuation and legal costs, and the extra interest from a longer term all belong in the comparison. A lower rate over more years can cost more in total.
-
Borrowing is not always the answer
Where a business is loss-making or already in arrears, new finance usually delays the problem and makes it larger. In those cases we say so and point to restructuring, HMRC Time to Pay, free advice or a licensed insolvency practitioner.
-
Plain English
Terms such as factor rate, debenture, invoice discounting and personal guarantee are defined the first time they appear. If a sentence needs a second reading, we rewrite it.
-
Respect for the reader's time
Business owners read this site between jobs, after closing or late at night. Pages open with key points, answer the question in the heading and avoid padding. If a page can be shorter, it should be.
How every service page is built
The same structure, so options can be compared fairly
Each finance option is explained in a fixed order. Reading two pages side by side should show the real differences, not differences in how they were written.
- 1
Definition and key points
A one-sentence definition of the product, followed by the four or five things a reader most needs to know, including the main drawback.
- 2
How it works and who it suits
The mechanics in practical steps, then eligibility in realistic terms: trading history, affordability, credit history, security and the regulatory position for sole traders.
- 3
Costs, benefits and drawbacks
Every element of cost, a benefits and drawbacks box, and a risk callout that names the circumstances in which the product is a poor fit.
- 4
Alternatives and questions
The routes a reader should consider instead, including non-borrowing routes, followed by the questions people most often ask about the product.
See the structure applied on our business debt consolidation page or across the full set of finance solutions.
When a business is in difficulty
How we handle distress situations
Some readers arrive here because a payment has been missed, HMRC has written, or a lender has started enforcement. For those readers the most useful thing we can do is to be honest about what finance can and cannot fix.
Our business debt help pages describe each situation, the warning signs, what it means for the business and the practical steps to take now. They cover finance options that may help, and they are equally clear about the options that will not. A business with loan arrears or HMRC tax debt will find signposting to free, impartial help before any mention of new borrowing.
We are not an insolvency practitioner or a debt counsellor, and we do not represent businesses to HMRC or creditors. Where a company cannot pay its debts as they fall due, directors may have duties to creditors to consider, and only a licensed insolvency practitioner can act in a formal procedure. We explain that plainly rather than steer the reader towards a product.
Making an enquiry
What a good enquiry conversation looks like
An enquiry is a conversation, not an application. Nothing is submitted to a provider and no credit search is carried out at this stage.
We listen first
The conversation starts with your business, your existing finance and the problem you are trying to solve. A high monthly repayment, several overlapping facilities and a seasonal cash gap point to different options, so the detail matters.
We explain the categories
We describe which types of finance or support may be relevant, what each would involve, what it would probably cost and where the risks sit. We also say which routes look unsuitable and why.
You decide what happens next
If you want to take an option further, we explain how an introduction to a third-party provider or adviser would work and what they would ask for. If you want to think, read or take advice first, that is a good outcome too.
The how it works page describes each stage in detail, including what information helps and what you can expect from us.
Our commitments
What we will never do
-
Pressure you
No repeated calls, no countdowns and no suggestion that an offer is about to disappear. Finance decisions deserve time, and a reputable provider's terms will still be there next week.
-
Manufacture urgency
Where a situation genuinely is time-sensitive, such as an HMRC deadline or a winding-up petition, we say so and point to the right service. We do not invent urgency to move an enquiry along.
-
Guarantee outcomes
We do not promise approval, savings, lower rates or a quick decision. We never suggest that finance can be arranged without a credit search. Any such claim on another site should make you cautious.
-
Hide how we are paid
Any commission arrangement is disclosed on our regulatory information page and before any introduction is made.
Ready to understand your business finance options?
Share a few details about your business and its existing borrowing. We will explain which options may be worth exploring and what to consider before you decide.